


Reflections of Calamity

by riddlejr



Series: My Female Harry Potter Works [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Avatar: The Last Airbender References, BAMF Harry Potter, But not Ron, Canon Rewrite, Dark Harry Potter, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Good Malfoy Family (Harry Potter), Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Lily Evans Potter Bashing, Lily Evans Potter Lives, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Master of Death Harry Potter, Molly Weasley Bashing, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo 2020, Not Canon Compliant, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Severus Snape is not a Hogwarts Professor, Sirius Black Free from Azkaban, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherin Politics, Slytherin Ron Weasley, Slytherins Being Slytherins, Smart Harry Potter, Weasley Family Bashing (Harry Potter), Wizard's Chess (Harry Potter), you don't have to watch the show tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27327736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riddlejr/pseuds/riddlejr
Summary: "It was if she was gazing into a cracked mirror. Helena Potter had her same red hair, her same green eyes but she was... unnatural. Distorted. It was a reflection of calamity.Tell me, Mother, why do you fear me?You know why."Lily Potter lives and raises Helena. She is harrowingly unprepared.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Voldemort, Undecided
Series: My Female Harry Potter Works [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945387
Comments: 90
Kudos: 379





	1. there is something wrong with my daughter

**Author's Note:**

> this is for NaNoWriMo 2020, but its my first time doing one so idk how this is gonna go. I'm aiming for about 40k-ish words, so wish me luck. once November is over, I'll prolly update this story a lot less frequently, but for now, this is what you guys are getting :)

When Lily Potter fist awoke from her hospital bed in St. Mungos, she was unsure whether or not she should be happy. On the one hand, her daughter was very much alive. She knew that much based on the crib that's situated in the corner of her room. How? She had no idea. But she was overjoyed, nonetheless.

On the other, her husband was dead. James, the boy who had chased after since second year, was dead. The wave of sadness hit her like a tsunami.

But as she was struggling to keep the tears at bay, she noticed something.

Helena wasn't making any noise. None at all. Normally, this wouldn't be too concerning, perhaps any other parent might just assume that she was asleep.

But Lily knew better.

Even while resting, her baby was never quiet. Both she and James had spent many nights agonizing the fact.

Surely, she swallowed as a horrible thought crossed her mind, surely the hospital staff wouldn't be cruel enough to place an empty crib in her room.

She rose carefully from her bed. Just to check, she promised herself.

As she made her way across the room, the crib remained silent, only fueling the fears festering in her mind.

But no, from where she was standing, she could clearly see the crimson hair of her baby girl. She moved closer, mustering a smile. But the smile started to fade as she examined the girl closer. Her green eyes _(too green)_ were staring off into the distance, focused on something Lily couldn't see. Even as she hovered over her, Helena's gaze did not shift from where she was looking.

"Helena," Lily said quietly, hoping to catch the girl's attention. There was no response. No indication that she had even heard her. Perhaps she was in shock? 

Lily grabbed one of the toys that lay discarded in her daughter's crib and pressed it into the girl's hand.

She stumbled back in horror as the stay, a small rattle in the shape of a dog, crumbled into dust, only to vanish further into nothingness.

What? What was going on? Had the Dark Lord done something to her baby? Had he cursed her?

She wanted to scoop Helena up into her arms and comfort her (no matter how unbothered the girl seemed) but she was hesitant to touch her. Would she disintegrate as well, just from touching her?

Instead of risking it, Lily wrapped her in one of the blankets in the crib, soft, pink cotton, and held her close to her chest. As she lifted her, Helena's gaze did not drift from where it was fixated, resolutely locked onto the corner of the room. She turned her body, effectively blocking the girl's line of sight.

She wanted to leave. How long had she been there? Where was the Dark Lord? How were the two of them alive? With her baby now safe in her arms, her head began to swim with more and more questions.

She made a quick decision to leave her room. Surely, somebody here would know what happened. 

Before she could make it very far, however, she ran straight into the chest of a tall wizard.

"Headmaster!" Lily said in disbelief, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. Can I- Can I help you?"

"Lily, my dear girl. How are you feeling?"

Lily inhaled sharply. That was the question she'd been avoiding since the moment she woke up. She smiled sadly at Dumbledore, whose pale blue eyes shimmered with worry, "I've been better, sir. But Helena and I are alright, which is more than I expected. Even though I'm not quite sure how."

Dumbledore's brow crinkled, "Yes, I admit, that's been perplexing to all of us here in the Wizarding World. Have the nurses told you anything that's happened?"

Lily shook her head, "No, nothing. You're the first person I've seen since... since..."

"Alright then, dear girl. I'll do my best to fill you in. Though, I admit we do not know much." He placed a frail hand on one of her shoulders and steered her towards the entrance, explaining as he went, "Because of the protections still up on your house, we have been unable to step foot inside. And, of course, I had Sirius arrested before he could enter as well." Dumbledore spoke calmly, as if it were an expected outcome.

Lily's brain quickly came to the conclusion that _oh, it_ was _the expected outcome. Oops._

"Sirius is completely innocent. I swear."

"My dear girl, I do not wish to place further grief onto your shoulders, but in order for Voldemort to have entered your house while it was protected, Sirius must've betrayed you."

Lily resisted the urge to scowl at him. She wasn't an idiot, she knew how the charm worked. Instead, she swallowed her anger, "I know how the charm works, sir. But Sirius wasn't our Secret Keeper. Well, he was for a while, but we changed it after we decided that he was too obvious a choice."

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "To who? Who was your new Keeper?"

A swell of hat anger bubbled in her chest. She snarled, "Peter. Peter Pettigrew. Where is that bastard?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, a new question entered Lily's mind, Ẅait a moment, sir. If no one's been able to go into my house, how on Earth did I get here?"

Dumbledore grimaced, "I'm afraid I do not know that either, my girl."

It seemed that there was a lot they didn't know.

"About Peter, though. Sirius Black killed him, and twelve muggles. Though, with your reveal in mind, I think it would be best to talk to him to get the real story. I'll have an aurora issue his release. In the meantime, I hope that you are well enough to apparate. I wish to inspect your home before all traces of magical signatures have vanished."

Lily nodded, eager to uncover everything she could about You-Know-Who's attack and why her baby was acting so strangely. 

Before she could say anything though, there was a call from the entrance, "Lily!"

Remus Lupin stood in all his disheveled glory at the entranceway. As he stumbled closer, it was clear to the red-haired woman that he'd been crying, "Lily. Oh merlin, Lily you're okay," he choked back a sob as he noticed the shock of red hair hidden under the blanket, "And Helena. Both of you are alright." He didn't comment on Jame's absence, and Lily was grateful for it.

"Did Sirius really- Did he-"

He couldn't bring himself to say the words, but Lily answered his unspoken question, "No, it wasn't him, Remus. it wasn't him."

"How?"

"It was Peter, not Sirius. Peter?"

_"Peter?_ But why? How could he?"

"I don't know. But I intend to make him pay."

"Either way," Lily continued, "Can you hold her for a moment? The Headmaster and I are going to Godric's Hollow, and you know how babies are with apparation."

Remus' eyes widened, "You want _me_ to hold her? I don't know if that's safe, Lily..."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Cut that out, lu. It's two full weeks until the full moon." Her eyes softened, "You aren't gonna hurt her."

Remus swallowed but held out his arms. Lily smiled, "Another thing, don't take her out of the blanket."

The other man looked a little lost but nodded in understanding, "Alright. How long will you be gone?"

"As long as it takes to gather the whole story," Dumbledore spoke, reminding the other two of his presence, "Are you ready, my girl? Alright then, on three. OZne, two, thr-"

They vanished with a crack.

-

The house in front of her looked the same as when she left it. There was no sign of the horror that had occurred inside of it. In all honesty, Lily would've wished to see it burned to the ground as some sort of testament to her husband's death than to have it standing in perfect condition.

She didn't voice her thought as she turned the knob to the door and invited Dumbledore in, the same door You-Know-Who must've used when he entered their home.

Dumbledore moved ahead, but Lily's feet would not move from where they were rooted to the ground. She knew what was in the next room over. Her husband's dead body. She wasn't sure if she'd prefer the actual sight of him collapsed before the sofa or the vague image that was floating around in her mind.

Instead of risking it, she avoided the living room all together and made her way up the stairs and to Helena's nursery. 

It looked to be the only part of the entire house that was damaged. Voldemort had blown the door apart after she'd blocked it with furniture, and little pieces were scattered throughout the room. The most eye-catching part, however, was the bundle of robes that sat sprawled in the center of the room. 

"Oh my God," Lily said, slipping into her old muggle vocabulary, "Oh my God. Headmaster! Headmaster you need to come up here. Oh my God. Did Helena- Oh my God."

Dumbledore did not race up the stairs, but he certainly moved quickly. When he finally made it to the nursery, he realized what was making Lily so frantic, "Oh my. That is quite unexpected."

He moved towards the robe, showing no hesitation. Bending down, he riffled through the cloth and extracted a wand. Voldemort wand. Lily's heart pounded in her chest. 

_"Priori incantum,"_ Dumbledore whispered, effectively shaking Lily from her shock, _"Stupefy, confringo, stupefy again,"_ he paused, his already thin lips pressed together, _"Avada kedavra."_

"How is she still alive?" Lily whispered, her hand pressed to her mouth.

"I don't know," Dumbledore sadly, "The important thing here is that Voldemort is dead and, somehow, your daughter killed him."

Unwillingly, Lily's mind was drawn to how the small toy had disintegrated in her daughter's grip. Had she- Had she done that to You-Know-Who? Lily had no idea. She was sure that it was a recently manifested ability, Helena had been playing with her hair just minutes before Voldemort arrived, and her hair was completely unharmed. 

Dumbledore stood from where he was crouched over the robes and pocketed the wand, "I suggest we head back to St. Mungos in order to check on little Helena. Have you noticed anything odd with her?"

Despite herself, Lily hesitated in mentioning the horrifying power her daughter demonstrated. For as kind as Dumbledore was, the red-haired woman was unsure if he would deem it acceptable for Lily to take care of Helena if he discovered her gift, "She's been awfully quiet," was all she said, instead.

Dumbledore nodded in understanding, "I would imagine so. She must've seen some horrible things."

Lily hummed in agreement.

Dumbledore spent another ten minutes poking around the Potter residence before he deemed that it was time to return to examine Helena.

Once again, Lily slipped out of the house - ignoring the living room of course - and apparated back to her daughter.

-

Remus was waiting for them in the lobby when they returned, and he eagerly handed Helena back to her mother. 

"May I see her?" Dumbledore asked politely once all three of them had migrated back to Lily's hospital room. Silently, Lily handed her over to the Headmaster. Carefully, he unwrapped her from the pink blanket and Lily bit her lip. She really hoped she wasn't about to watch Albus Dumbledore crumble into dust. Thankfully though, even as his bare thumb grazed over Helena's cheek, there was no hint of the sinister power Lily had witnessed earlier.

Moments later, however, Dumbledore drew in a sharp breath as he brushed the girl's red hair away from her forehead. An angry red scar splintered down her daughter's forehead, ending right as one of the offshoots cut through the tail end of her eyebrow. Lily wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed it before, but Helena's hair had always been thick, much thicker than Lily's own.

"What do you think it means?" Lily asked.

"A curse scar. I don't believe that it will ever heal, not fully at least. No doubt from the killing curse Voldemort cast. Though how she survived, I don't know." He waved his hand absently, presumably shooing away a bug that was hovering near his face.

"The killing curse?" Remus asked, confused and horrified.

"You-Know-Who is dead. He died when he tried to kill Helena."

_"Dead?"_ there was no joy in Remus's voice, only shock, "Merlin. You-Know-Who dead. I never thought I'd see the day. Has it been announced yet?"

"Not officially, no," Dumbledore said, a strange, knowing look in his eye, "Though I'm sure the news will have spread somehow."

"How? We just returned."

"Just a guess."

-

Two days later, Lily Potter moved into one of the Potter family residences. It was the most secluded one she could find, in an attempt to save the newly named Girl Who Lived from a life in the spotlight.

But there was another reason for the seclusion.

Helena Potter, clutched tightly in her mother's arms, had not made a sound since that fateful night, her too-green eyes fixed unblinkingly at a figure no one could see but her.


	2. there is a girl who stares at nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena Potter's life is hard, but the man no one can see but her makes it easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, any suggestions, go yell at me at my tumblr, tom-riddles-horcux  
> its only day two and i'm already exhausted, lmao  
> (also, if you couldn't tell, Helena is kinda autism coded bc i have autism and i thought it would be cool. its not like super present though, so if you don't want to read her that way, its fine.)

There was something horribly wrong with her daughter. At first, it had been a relief when Helena had finally started to make sound again, four months after the attack. But as time went on, Lily began to dread the sound of her daughter's voice, echoing through their small house.

She'd learned to speak, though how, Lily had no idea. Lily certainly hadn't taught her. As shameful as it was, she could barely bear to be in the same room as her daughter for more than twenty minutes at a time.

It didn't seem to bother the girl, though. No, she still held constant conversations with an unknown figure in her room, one Lily could only hope was an imaginary friend. 

She spoke with a strange accent, as if she'd learned from someone who hadn't spoken English in quite a while. It wasn't distracting, though. If Lily truly wished to, she could probably pass it off as some obscure British dialect.

Sirius, when he occasionally visited, had never commented on it.

He did, however, notice how uneasy Lily always seemed to be. Or how odd it was that Helena always seemed to be wearing a pair of gloves.

When asked, Lily explained it away as an aversion to certain sensations. She didn't like to touch unsanded wood or certain types of metal, she'd said.

A lie, of course. Helena wore gloves so she wouldn't go around destroying everything she touched. As years passed, Helena would learn to control her power, but at two, three, or four, Lily faced a constant risk of death.

_ Another reason to avoid her _ , her mind whispered.

Occasionally, Lily's guilt overwhelmed her. Her husband had died to save their daughter, and this is how she was treating her? But then she really looked at her. Everything about Helena did not seem quite real. The girl could've been a perfect copy of Lily if it weren't for the brightness of her green eyes, her spidery scar, or her wild hair. It didn't used to be that way. Her daughter had been soft, always smiling making some kind of noise. But it wasn't like that anymore;

The girl in front of her was someone else. The Girl Who Lived was not Helena Potter.

Lily's guilt had thoroughly vanished as she locked her daughter in her room for the third day in a row. 

-

Six year old Helena Potter was lonely. It wasn't her Mother's presence that she missed, she'd never known it enough to miss it after all. 

It was the man who stood beside her. She didn't know his name, she'd asked of course, but had been resolutely ignored. But he'd been missing for several days.

It made Helena upset, but they'd both known this was coming. Apparently, there was a large disturbance in his realm, though Helena didn't completely understand what that meant, and he'd left to take care of it.

Fool. Helena would show him that she didn't need his company.

Carefully, she peeled off one of her gloves and approached her locked door. It wasn't much of an obstacle, Lily had to know that. She wrapped all five of her fingers around the door handle and smiled to herself as it crumpled in her hand. Pretty.

She meandered down the hallway. She didn't leave her room very often, there wasn't really a reason to. All her food was delivered to her by one of the House Elves, and whatever book she wanted could be easily mail ordered.

Still, she knew where her mother was. Lily was always in her study, though what she did, she had no idea. 

Slowly, she pushed open the door, causing her mother to startle and whip around in horror. A too-tight smile stretched across Lily's face, "Helena. sweetheart. Can I help you with something?"

Helena glanced up at her, "I want to go to a friends house," she requested.

"A-a friends house?" Lily was confused. For one, Helena almost never asked for things. She was terribly independent. For another, Helena... didn't have any friends. She'd never even left the house, "Who? Whose house?"

Helena's brow furrowed. It was clear that she hadn't thought her plan all the way through. At least there was something normal about her six year old, "I am... not sure. Find me one."

"Find you... a friend?"

"Yes," she seemed to consider for a moment, "Please."

Lily forced a light laugh. Find Helena a friend? That  _ was  _ pretty standard parenting stuff. Perhaps the Longbottom boy? No, Lily had heard that he would be painfully shy. It wouldn't do to have two socially awkward children.

She thought back to an offhand comment Sirius had made a month or two ago, ' _ You know, if little Hel over these ever shows any interest in making friends, Cissy's boy has been looking for new playmates' _

Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy's son... if he were anything like his father, he loved to talk. A wonderful distraction, and a wonderful excuse to get Helena out of the house. Lily very much doubted that the Malfoys would be thrilled about Draco coming all the way out to the Potter home. 

"A-alright sweetheart, I think I can set something up for me. Just give me a day, is that alright?"

Helena scowled darkly, and Lily leaned back in her chair as her poison green eyes seemed to glow from beneath her shadowed brow, "Yes, that is fine," was all she said, and she walked out of the room.

Lily was grateful she closed the door behind her, because it meant Helena wouldn't be able to see her cover her face with her hands.

-

"Alright Helena, now you remember what we say, don't you?" Lily said as she led her daughter to the fireplace.

"Yes, I remember, I told you I read a book about it. Also, please stop talking to me in that voice. I am not stupid."

Lily looked away to hide her scowl. Why couldn't her daughter just act like a normal child?

"Right, of course hunny. My bad."

Helena nodded, looking back ahead, "It is alright."

"Well, I'll pick you up in a couple hours. And tell Lady Malfoy if you want to come home early, for whatever reason."

"I won't. I don't like spending time here."

Lily didn't know whether to be insulted or relived. She settled for silence.

Helena didn't feel the need for any goodbyes either, and she gracefully stepped into the green flames and vanished.

-

The Malfoy Manor was very large, much larger than her own house. Narcissa Malfoy was much more bearable to be around as well. She spoke to Helena in full sentences, and her words were clearly articulated, unlike Lily, who spoke in that horribly high voice. Helena appreciated it.

The youngest Malfoy, Helena had forgotten his name and he hadn't paused enough in talking for her to ask again, was entertaining as well. He seemed perfectly content to fill the emptiness with his own voice. Helena probably knew more about him from knowing him for three hours then she knew about any other person.

She thought that was funny.

She grabbed the hand Narcissa offered to her (No one had offered to hold her hand before. It was interesting how her hand seemed to fit perfectly inside the palm of the other woman. She would allow it for now.) as she was walked back to the Malfoy's much grander fireplace.

"Did you enjoy spending time with Draco?"

Draco. So that was his name.

"Yes. Thank you for having me over." Narcissa smiled at her. It was terribly soft, much softer than any of the smiles Lily had ever given her. It made Narcissa's grey eyes crinkle around the edges. Helena decided she looked very pretty like that, "I will be coming over again next week?" It was a statement asking permission.

"Of course, I will set it up with your mother."

Helena shook her head, "That is not..." she paused, sounding out the word in her head, "Nec-necessary. She prefers it when I am not there."

The softness around Narcissa's eyes smoothed out. Helena frowned, she rather liked how it looked, "Is that so? Then I expect to see you here next Wednesday."

"That is fine." Helena was sure the man wouldn't be upset. She'd noticed, even before he'd left, that he was spending less and less time with her. He would probably like it if he had a full day to do... whatever he did.

"Alright then," the smile was back on her face, "I will see you then."

"Yes, you will," Helena agreed.

"Travel safely."

"Thank you."

Helena hoped she didn't fall on her face again like she had that morning, that had been embarrassing. Then again, she doubted there was anyone there waiting for her to see it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we get a short overview of Helena's childhood! Lily doesn't hate her daughter, but there's a disconnect between the girl she remembered from before James died and the new Helena, or who she called "the girl who lived". Because of that, she is definitely abusive. I think she's kinda in denial over this fact. Narcissa is also picking up on Helena's mistreatment, and we'll probably see her going over to the Malfoys much more frequently in the future.  
> we're also introduced to Draco in this chapter. I think its hilarious how all the drcotok girls make him out to be this super cool bad guy. i'll always see him as the self-important kid. i still love him thoug. also, don't see him, we'll be seeing much more of him later.  
> also, i hope you guys like Helena's blunt attitude. she reminds me of the kind of kid who prefers talking to adults rather than kids her own age. (so like me, lmao)  
> please tell me if theres anything in particular you want to see in this story, i love new ideas. also, if you have any corrections, leave them down in the comments.  
> love you guys :)


	3. there is a man with an odd name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man has a name, or so it turns out. He also has a purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its so hard to plan as i go along, lmao  
> also, I'm literally watching the presidential election rn as I speak and I feel like dying. just a heads up, I do in fact hate you if you voted trump

The man returned two weeks later, and he did not return empty handed.

"Helena," he said in the same raspy voice he always used.

"Hello."

"You are almost seven."

Helena nodded in confirmation, "I am." She didn't see why it was important, the man had never taken particular notice of any of her birthdays before.

"Come with me, little one. I have something to show you." He glided out of her room, his long black cloak billowing behind him. Helena had to take twice as many steps as him just to keep up.

The two of them stayed silent as they walked. Neither of them had ever been more chatty, and Helena's desire to speak decreased even more as the anticipation in the air grew.

Finally, after around twenty minutes of walking into the forest beside their house, the man stopped, spinning around to face her.

He placed his hands behind his back and stared down at Helena.

Helena stared back.

"Do you know my name?"

"No, you never told me."

"That is because I feared you would expose me. However, you have proven your competence, little magistra," there was an unexpected fond note in the man's voice and, while Helena couldn't see the face hidden beneath the hood, she liked to imagine the corners of his eyes crinkling like Narcissa's did.

"Are you going to tell me your name now? Because I was compe- competent."

The man paused, but when he spoke his voice was sure, "I am. Seven is a very important age for young witches and wizards, and I felt it was appropriate." He must've seen the question in her eyes, because he quickly answered her unasked question, "Seven is the strongest number and is, coincidently, the year where a child's magical abilities truly begin to spike."

Helena looked down at her hands in confusion. She'd been doing magic for years, though.

Again, the man spoke before she could, "What you do with your hands is not your own magic. It is a gift. From me."

Her eyes widened, "From you? How?"

"Let us return to the subject of my name, first. I believe it would be the best starting point for the story."

"Alright," Helena agreed, trusting his judgment. Without taking her eyes off the figure in front of her, she maneuvered over to a nearby tree stump and sat down.

"My name, in your language, is Death, though I have always preferred Mors," he paused, expecting interruption, but Helena stayed silent, "I am a manifestation of the absence of Vita, Life, my sister. However, I can not physically appear in the mortal plane without some kind of tether to keep me there. In this case, Helena, that tether would be you. 

"When you were born, I immediately took notice of the connection you and I shared through your prophesized fate. A very strong connection. It was this that drove me to intervene in the clash between you and Lord Voldemort. I am the reason you... live today. Ironic, of course. That the personification of Death is why you are alive today."

"What does tether mean? And... why did we have such a strong connection?" Helena asked, speaking for the first time since Mors had started his story.

"You are the person keeping me here. It's like you are tying me down. However, that does not mean you do all the work. My own magical ability is what is able to sustain me. Additionally, I first noticed due to your Peverell blood. You know the children's story, don't you? Of the three brothers?"

"Yes, it was one of the books Mother left me with to entertain myself."

Mors nodded, "Good. This tyes back to your mother in another way, as well. The Peverells, the boys in the story, two went on to have descendants. Though, one of them died before they could see their children grow up. On your father's side, you are a descendant of the youngest brother, Ignotus. This, I believe at least, should be public knowledge if you do a bit of digging. However, the relation to your mother's side should be untraceable. At least with only mortal knowledge at your disposal. But I am no mortal. Your mother's family comes from a long line of squibs, as most supposedly "muggleborns" do. Her squib line just so happens to be derived from the eldest brother's line. Which makes you the current heiress if the Peverell line."

"Heiress?"

"You are in line to inherit control to inherit the House of Peverell's seats in the Wizengamot... though I don't you understand that much. Perhaps you should consider spending more time with the Malfoy family."

Helena's confused stare brightened at that. She liked the Malfoy family, though she'd yet to meet Draco's father. But for as much Draco talked about him, he must be an amazing man, "Okay."

"Perhaps you would benefit from having Lady Malfoy specifically instruct you, as well. I believe that before Draco was born, and before the War, she was on her way to get a charms mastery. It's important for young witches to stretch their magical powers from a young age so their cores can grow as well.

"Now," Mors continues, changing the subject, "I brought you all the way out into the forest for a reason. I would like you to bear witness to what my powers entail. As my tether, you have access to some of my powers, such as your ability to disintegrate. But you will never have access to the full scope of them. Even with the inability to die of old age, your mortal body would be obliterated if you wielded this much power. Now, watch very carefully."

Mors slowly spread out his arms, making sure Helena was watching. Slowly, the tension in his shoulders began to relax as the trees and plants around him started to whither. The radius slowly began to grown until a circle twenty feet in every direction was filled solely with dead vegetation. Only Helena and her little tree stump remained untouched. Mors drew himself back up again, the tension returning.

"While you will be forever unable to attain that level of destruction, your powers will grow with you as do. It is like a muscle, it is important to exercise them, both so you do not accidentally harm your allies, and to increase their power when there is someone you want to harm. It is very important to me that you fine tune your control. I will never approve of mindless destruction. Death is something that is to be v=caused with purpose, whether that purpose is intimidation or something more extreme."

Helena nodded in understanding. Her hands were almost itching with the desire to take notes. Mors seemed to notice, "Come now, let us return home, little magistra."

"What does magistra mean?"

Mors paused, "Perhaps we should get you started on Latin, as well."

-

Narcissa was not as kind a teacher as she was a parent. It hadn't taken much convincing to get Lily to let Narcissa tutor her, really, anything to get her daughter out of the house was seen as a blessing, and Helena was grateful for the distraction. 

Draco did not join the two for their lessons, and Helena was grateful for it. As much as she enjoyed Draco's company, she did not think his endless chattering would work well in a learning environment. Narcissa seemed to agree.

"Tell me, Helena, you know how to read, do you not?"

"Yes, ma'am, I do."

"That is very impressive. Who taught you?"

Mors had taught her, actually. Well, he'd told her to ask the house elves for books to teach her how to read, and then come to him if she had any questions, but she always had a lot of questions, so it was basically the same thing. Instead of telling Narcissa that, though, she opted for what she thought would be the safe answer, "I taught myself."

Narcissa's eyes narrowed, they seemed to be doing that a lot, lately, "Your mother did not teach you?"

Helena glanced up from the page she'd been skimming over, her own hollow gaze locking onto the woman's in front of her, "No, she did not." She offered no more explanation.

Narcissa hadn't been expecting her to. The girl seemed to have a back for leaving more questions in her wake every time she answered. 

"That is doubly impressive, then. Here, can you read this aloud for me?"

Helena nodded, taking note of how Narcissa's eyes crinkled again. Pretty. She straightened out the sheet in front of her and began to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has a lot of expedition and info dumping ik. oopsie, I just wanted to get it all out there. also not me coming up w almost all of it on the spot LMAO. also the ending is kinda weird... this chapter was just meh all the way around. i hope you still enjoy it tho :)  
> I hope everyone is doing well with the election anxiety. I've never wished I was 18 more in my life.  
> tell me any suggestion/questions at tom-riddles-horcrux  
> see you tomorrow!! hopefully...


	4. there is a boy with the stars on his cheeks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena meets Ronald Weasley, the boy with nothing to his name. She decides to change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I :))))) am so :)))) stressed :)))))  
> I can't believe I have to go to school tomorrow that seems so unfair.

"Why would I be required for a shopping trip?" Helena inquires, glancing up at her mother. It wasn't often that Lily went out of her way to spend time with her daughter, so the occasion must be special.

Lily laughed nervously, "Nothing important. Just that people are always wondering about you. I figured it would be best to go out into the world and show that that the Girl Who Lived," Lily couldn't quite conceal the disdainful curling of her lip, "is completely alright."

Helena nodded thoughtfully. She didn't quite understand the public's fascination with her, but Narcissa and Mors had explained both in excruciating detail. It did, however, annoy her that she was getting all the credit for the act that Mors had performed.

"That is fine," she eventually agreed. Mors wasn't even there today, so it wasn't as though she was missing any time with him.

Lily's shoulders visibly relaxed. Helena hid her smile behind the long sleeve of her robe. It was funny how tense her mother always was around her, her fear was completely unfounded. Helena would never go out of her way to attack her. In fact, she quite liked the system of avoidance she and Lily had going on. It left her plenty of time to train with Mors.

"Alright then," Lily said in her painfully bright voice, "We best be off. I was thinking that we could get you some new robes. Narcissa contacted me about having you exercise the etiquette she's been teaching you at some small gatherings." Lily didn't look too keen about the idea, she liked it when Helena's interaction with others was limited, less of a chance she said something odd in front of them. Her daughter's tendency for abnormality was part of the reason she'd even agreed to let Narcissa teach etiquette in the first place, despite how she despised the subject. Perhaps her daughter's peculiarity could be trained out of her. Lily could only hope.

The woman placed a hand on Helena's shoulder in preparation for apparating, she never went so far as taking the girl's hand, and the pair spun out of existence.

-

Diagon Alley was brighter than any place Helena had ever imagined. It absolutely _thrummed_ with energy, life energy, as Mors had explained it to her. Two months after they began training, he'd opened the nerves she had on her body that allowed her to sense energy. It was a struggle to not be overwhelmed by the influx of power, but Helena tried not to let it show on her face.

But it wasn't only the energy that was bright, Diagon Alley was a wonderful distraction. Everywhere she looked, there was something else being advertised. Crushed moon pearls, dragon's tongue, cat eye. It was all very exciting.

Absently, Helena drifted through the crowd. Lily had said she needed to retrieve something from the large building at the end of the trail, and that Helena should meet her at the Leaky Cauldron in an hour and a half for their _very_ public arrival. 

Neither of them were worried about her being recognized. The reports on Helena's appearance were shotty at best, the only thing consistent throughout them was her vibrant green eyes. As long as Helena kept her head down, she should be able to wander about undisturbed.

And she did. At least until the flow of the crowd knocked her petite body all the way to the outskirts, and she found herself on her hands and knees, peering up at a crying red-headed boy.

"Hello," she said, finding it appropriate to bring attention to herself.

The red haired boy - his hair was many shades lighter than hers, more orange than her copper - looked up from staring at his feet. His eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, he must've been crying for a while.

He sniffed and looked a little annoyed at being interrupted, "Hi."

Helena stood and brushed herself off, unbothered by the boy's uninterested reply, "Why are you crying?"

At the reminder of his sadness, the boy's face crumpled again, "My Mom forgot me again. Like always."

Helena frowned at the boy's distress, she hadn't meant to make him cry again, "I'm sorry. What's your name?"

"R-Ron. Ronald Weasley."

Weasley. Helena rolled the name around in her mind, trying to figure out where she recognized it from. Weasley. The second to last name in the Sacred twenty eight.

"Hello Ronald," she sat down on the bench next to him. If she was going to talk to this boy, there wasn't any reason she couldn't be comfortable while doing it, "Why does your mother always leave you?"

Ronald's tears seemed to be drying again - they seemed to come and go sporadically. He scowled, kicking one of the rocks at his feet, "She has to deal with all my brothers, too. I'm the youngest boy of six and I've got a little sister. And the least important one. Bill's already Head-Boy, and Charlie thinks he's gonna be the Quidditch captain soon," he sniffled and Helena made the private wish that the tears wouldn't return. Thankfully didn't, "I'm never gonna be anything compared to them."

Helena nodded thoughtfully, he seemed like he was in quite the predicament. Helena couldn't even imagine having six other siblings. Still, she thought, Ronald _must_ be over-exaggerating, "I do not believe you. There must be something you're good at."

Ron glared at her, but he looked like he was thinking about it, "Well," he said reluctantly, his cheeks pinking, "I can play a mean game of chess."

Helena's eyes widened in interest. Narcissa had mentioned chess, she had a pretty looking chessboard in the study, but she didn't know how to play. Helena took the opportunity to learn, "Will you teach me?"

Ronald looked taken aback by the request. Clearly, he was unused to being asked things, "U-um sure, I guess," he stuttered, his tears forgotten, "We don't have a chessboard, though."

"Hmm," Helena hummed thoughtfully. That was true, "That is fine. We will look for your mother, and then we can arrange another time for you to teach me."

Ron's eyes widened, "L-like a play date?"

Helena scowled at the childish word, "Like a- like a lesson. You can be my instructor."

"Oh," Ronald's shoulders seemed to droop a bit, "Okay."

"...We can play for a bit afterwards, though."

Ron grinned at her, "Okay, yeah. That sounds fun," he froze suddenly, after remembering something, "We can't do it at my house though."

"I do not think it would be a good idea to do it a mine, either. Perhaps we should meet here, in Diagon..."

Ron seemed happy with that, "Okay, I can bring my chessboard from home and we can meet in the Leaky Cauldron."

Helena nodded, "That works for me. We can go exploring afterwards." The mention of the Leaky Cauldron, though, reminded her of her mother, "I have to go soon, though. Very soon, actually," she looked at him apologetically, "I am sorry I will not be able to help you look for your mother."

"It's fine," Ron stood, pressing his palms into his eyes, "They won't be hard to find, they're very loud."

"That is good. I will owl you, goodbye Ronald."

He smiled at her, and it made the freckles on his face contort, "Bye," his eyes widened again quickly afterwards, "Wait I don't- know your name..." he mumbled the last part, knowing she'd be unable to hear her over the chatter of the crowd. Oh well.

-

The Leaky Cauldron was not difficult to find, even though Helena could barely see through the crowds of people. Absently, as she was wondering how her mother was planning to arrange her introduction, she was snatched out the crowd by said woman, the grip on - as always - her shoulder, tight.

"The plan is for me to call out your name, loudly, in order to get your attention. People are sure to recognize me, so as soon as they hear me say your name, they should recognize you, as well." This all seemed terribly complicated, "Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," she looked pointedly at the hand still wrapped around her shoulder, "Would you unhand me, please?"

"Ah, of course," Lily agreed immediately, and Helena didn't miss how Lily's hand traveled absently to wipe itself off on her skirt, "Now," she handed Helena a small pouch of gold coins, "Go pretend to buy something."

The plan played out remarkably smoothly, Helena admitted that it may have been an exaggeration when she called it complicated.

The only unforeseen consequence was the large crowd of people that swarmed at the mention of her name.

Surrounded by hands seeking handshakes, Helena scanned the crowd. She smiled - a real, genuine smile that was sure to be in the papers the next day - when she spotted Ronald Weasley next to what was obviously his family, his jaw completely hanging open.

When he saw her looking, though, his face quickly morphed into his own grin, and, for a moment it was just the two of them two new friends just smiling at each other across a sea of strangers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is weirdly ship-y, but i promise that this fic is very much NOT helena x ron. also, i hope i did him justice, i am super unused to writing him.  
> that's all for today (also sorry this was two hours late i had way too much hw)


	5. there is a girl that learns to play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena learns how to maneuver her chessboard and gets her first taste of failure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating yesterday... i literally don't even have an excuse I just didn't OOPS

Lily was, surprisingly, not too excited for Helena to spend time with the Weasley family. It wasn't that she didn't like the Weasley family, Merlin no, she thought they were all lovely. But that was the problem. She didn't particularly care what Dark families like the Malfoys had to say about her daughter, no one would believe them if they started going around saying that the Girl Who Lived at the power to destroy things with just a touch, but the same couldn't be said about the Weasleys.

While they certainly didn't have the political influence the Malfoys had, the Weasleys were well-liked in the circles Lily ran in. If the Weasleys decided to start rumors about Helena's... oddness, Lily really wasn't sure what she would do. Then again, though, she doubted they would.

In the end, she'd agreed regardless of the consequences. It wasn't exactly like she could refuse her daughter, not when she glanced up at her with her too green eyes. Lily shuddered at the mental image alone. They really did remind her too much of the Killing Curse.

-

Her mother hadn't bothered to see Helena out, though she hadn't expected her to. She hadn't since that very first visit to the Malfoys over a month ago.

"The Leaky Caldron," she said in her usual monotone voice and stepped into the flames. 

-

Diagon Alley was, thankfully, a lot less crowded than it had been a week before. All the students who'd been doing last minute shopping were off to Hogwarts and it left the air much more breathable.

Ron was sitting in the corner of the shop, his chessboard already set up in front of him. He grinned when he saw her, "I know we've talked through a letter or two, but it's still crazy to me that you're _the_ Helena Potter. Fred and George freaked out when they heard I was meeting with you."

"The twins," Helena said, pulling out the chair opposite from him.

"The twins, right. They go to Hogwarts next year, and I just _know_ everyone is going to love them."

Helena frowned at the sudden gloominess in the air, "Will you teach me now?"

"Huh," Ran asked before his ears went red, "Oh! Yeah. What do you already know?"

Helena studied the board, "I know where all the pieces are, I memorized them at my last session with Lady Malfoy."

"Lady Malfoy?" Ron sputtered, his blue eyes boing wild, "Who do you have sessions with Lady Malfoy?"

Helena blinked, taken aback by Ron's extreme reaction, "Because I am friends with her son and she offered. She is my tutor."

 _"You,_ the Girl Who Lived, is friends with Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes."

_"How?"_

"I asked my mother to find me a friend and, because my Godfather is cousins with Lady Malfoy and they had recently made up," she paused, made up was definitely an extreme word. Helena's best guess about what was going on was that they were both trying to influence the other into switching sides, "Uncle Sirius suggested I be friends with the Malfoys."

Ron still seemed skeptical, "Well, what's he like then?"

A slight fondness crept into Helena's eyes, "He is amusing, and he talks about himself a lot. I like him."

Ron nodded, like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"May we begin? Or would you like to order a drink or something similar?"

"I don't uh, have enough money."

"Okay." She looked at him expectantly.

"Uh, right. Well, do you know any of the piece names?" Helena shook her head, "Okay, so this one is the Queen." He pointed to the second tallest piece, the one without the cross on it's head, "She's probably the most powerful. She has the ability to move in any direction she wants with and any distance. But while the Queen is the most powerful, the King is the most important. He can't move very much, though, just one square in any direction, so it's up to the other pieces to protect him. The game is over when one of the kings die, so you want to try and kill your opponent's king..." he glanced back up at her, "Did you get all that?"

"Yes. I will remember everything you tell me."

"Oh, that's good," he wasn't sure how she could be so confident, "This one's the rook, it can move horizontally and vertically, and the bishop, this one, can move diaganolly. Then there the pawn," he picked up a struggling chess piece and held it between two fingers, examining it, "I think they're the most complicated. They can move two squares at the very beginning of the game, from its start position, but after that they can only move one block, and only forward. Except, that it can move diaganolly, like this," he demonstrated on the board, "when there's a piece diagonally from them. That way, they're able to take the piece."

"Why? That doesn't make any since with the pre-established rules," Helena's eyes hadn't left the chessboard.

Ron shrugged, "I dunno. To make it more interesting, I guess."

Helena frowned in annoyance, "Okay. Can we play?"

"You got all that... already?"

"Yes, I told you that I would remember."

Ron shrugged, "Alright then. White goes first, so that's you. I'll tell you more about particular strategies later. I don't know a lot of 'em though. I usually do my own thing."

"That is fine. I just tell the pawn where to move?"

"In Wizard's Chess, yeah."

"Pawn to D4."

The small soldier moved quickly and efficiently, which was impressive for someone's first time playing. Usually, they struggled a bit before finally relenting and following orders. Then again, if he were faced with a demand like that from Helena, Ron was pretty sure he'd move immediately, too. 

"Pawn to D4," Ron mimicked.

The game had begun.

-

"You beat me," Helena observed with a frown on her face. Her first taste of failure was bitter on her tongue.

Ron grinned, scratching at his face sheepishly, "Yeah. You were pretty good though."

Helena's frown deepened. Ron's words did little to comfort her, "Why? What did you do that I didn't?"

"Well..." Ron studied the board, "You sacrificed a lot of your pieces to get me in check a couple times. Check is good and all, but it isn't check _mate._ You can't win if you don't have enough players to back the King into a corner. You have to keep your pieces alive longer."

"Hmm." 

Deep down, Helena knew she hadn't been expecting to win. She'd asked Ron to the Leaky Caldron so he could _teach_ her, not so she could win on her first try. Still, she had the strong desire to walk out of the little bar she was in and never plat chess again. She frowned, pushing the feeling down. No. She was not a failure, she would play against Ronald Weasley until she won.

"Again."

-

She did not win a single game. They had played six, and Ron had one every time. He would give her almost the same advice everytime, too. Be more aware of the pieces on the table and don't be too eager to sacrifice them. It was hard, they were very easy to forget about _and_ to sacrifice.

"Can we maybe go get ice cream instead?" Ron asked after Helena suggested a seventh game.

She looked at the game board and then back at him, "...Alright. I have money," she held up the bag of gold coins her mother had given her during her first trip to Diagon Alley. She'd never asked for it back, so Helena just assumed it would be fine to keep it.

Ron's eyes widened and he sat back in his chair, "That's like thirty galleons!"

"Okay."

"No, I mean, how much ice cream are you planning on buying?"

Helena opened the bag and peeked inside, "I have never had ice cream before, so I do not know if I will like it."

"Youe never had _ice cream?"_ Ron asked in a horrified voice, "Merlin, you have to come try it. You'll love it."

-

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour was only a block from the Leaky Cauldron. It was brightly colored, with bubblegum pink and mint accents and streamers hanging from the windows. Cute, but not to Helena's tastes. the two red-heads went in.

"You can't buy me any!" Ron sputtered, his face red, "It wouldn't be fair."

"But you said earlier that you did not have enough money for a drink," Helena responded bluntly.

"I _know_ that, but-"

Helena raised a hand to stop him, "You are being foolish. If it peeves-" that was a word that she'd learned from Narcissa "-you that much, then instead of me being kind, it can be payment for you teaching me. Equiv- equivalent exchange."

Ron's eyebrows were still pinched together, but he agreed.

Five minutes later and they were both holding their too large cones. Helena had gotten vanilla because Ron had said it was one of the least intenxe flavors and Ron had gotten cookies and cream.

Hesitantly, Helena took her first lick. Her eyes widened and she smiled to herself. It was good. She took another lick.

Ron watched the girl carefully out of the corner of his eye. It was the second time he'd seen her smile. H wasn't quite sure why, but he had a feeling that he was one of a very limited amount of people who'd seen that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these kids are supposed to be like 7 but they talk like 13 year olds HELP T-T  
> in case you couldn't tell, helena has a really impressive memory. like really impressive. also, she's gonna develop a MAJOR sweet tooth which I think is gonna be adorable.   
> I'm gonna try to get another chapter out for y'all today to make up for yesterday, but I'm not sure how that's gonna go...  
> as always, come yell at me at tom-riddles-horcrux on tumblr!! everyone over there is freaking out rn because destiel is canon which is literally MIND BLOWING lmao


	6. there is a girl who dances to lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena discovers that it's generally considered impolite to speak what's on your mind. This is new information for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE WON WE WON WE WONNNNNNNNN MY RIGHTS ARENT BEING TAKEN AWAY OMG  
> also, i can't believe ive been deprived of the Death Note musical for so long, WHY ISNT IT ON APPLE MUSIC i hate it here  
> anyway... ignore the fact that this is a day late... i hope the longer-than-usual chapter makes up for it.

"Are you ready in there, Helena?"

"Yes," Helena conceded once she finished pulling on her tights, "I am dressed. You may answer."

"Alright, I'm coming in." Narcissa opened the door into the bathroom Helena had dressed herself in. The girl in question was wearing a high necked, dark green dress, with fabric draped over the shoulders. 

It was one of the dresses Lily had bought for her during their trip to Diagon Alley. It wasn't ugly, in Helena's opinion at least, but she much preferred a simple skirt and button-up shirt.

Narcissa smiled when she saw her, "You look lovely, Helena. That color green really brings out your eyes."

"Thank you," Helena said, resisting the urge to tug at her collar. 

"Come here, I want to braid this silver into your hair."

Helena moved forward obediently. She knew her mother wouldn't approve. Although Narcissa had offhandedly mentioned Lily's friendship with a Slytherin named Severus, her distaste for Slytherins had only grown since her husband's death. Though, Helena suspected Narcissa knew all of that as well and was dressing her in silver and green on purpose. Not that Helena minded.

"You really do have lovely hair. It's darker than your mother's."

Helena resisted the urge to nod so she didn't mess up the elaborate hairdo Narcissa was braiding. 

"Now, can you name everyone who will be at the party tonight?" 

It was a foolish question, of course. Helena had never once forgotten anything she'd been told.

"The Greengrass family, with their two daughters, Lord Nott and his grandson, Madam Bones, the Lord and Lady Bulstrode, and Professor Slughorn."

Narcissa's reflection smiled in the mirror, "Very good, Helena. It'd probably be best for you to stay with the children for your first gathering, the Greengrass girls are terribly sweet, and you already know Draco, of course. Though, I have no doubt that Professor Slughorn will go out of his way to speak with you. All you have to do in that situation is flatter him to the extreme. Tell him that you've heard of his mastery in potions, or something along those lines." 

Helena's lips twitched downwards. She wasn't a big fan of lying, often she saw no point in it, but she trusted Lady Malfoy's judgment. If she believed it was necessary, it probably was.

"Alright, all done."

Half of Helena's hair was up, braided into a crown on top of her head, small silver threads visible between auburn the strands. The other half fell down her back freely. She had no idea how she'd managed it so quickly.

"Thank you, Lady Malfoy," Helena said, straightening out her dress as she stood from her chair. Suddenly, the content look on her face was replaced with faint uncomfortableness, "Where are my gloves?"

Narcissa's mouth pressed into a thin line, but she didn't comment, "I thought you might ask that. I got you new ones that match your dress better."

"Oh," Helena blinked, "Thank you." A wave of peculiar relief washed over her. It wasn't as though she needed the gloves to control her powers - she was far past that point - but the feeling of cloth on her hands was as familiar as breathing at that point, and going out in public with bare hands made her feel almost naked, "Thank you. They are very soft."

She admired the way Narcissa's eyes crinkled at the edges, "Of course, Helena. My pleasure. Now, would you like to meet up with Draco before the gala?"

"That sounds nice," she said, accepting Narcissa's outstretched hand. For some reason, the pair had made it a habit to hold hands whenever they were walking anywhere.

"He's in the entrance hall, waiting for guests to arrive. Would you like to be with us as we greet them?"

Helena did not miss the message that would be sent if she was seen greeting others as if she were part of the Malfoy family, but, again, she did not particularly care, "Okay."

-

The main ballroom the Malfoy's small gala was being held in was very beautiful. It had lots of glass in crystals which allowed the magically produced light to bounce beautifully around the room.

As soon as the doors opened, Draco had grabbed her hand and lead her out onto the floor in the direction of two young girls, presumably the Greengrass children. Another boy, pale with brown hair, joined her and Draco as they walked.

"Hello," Helena said, turning her head at an angle to address the boy beside her, "My name is Helena."

The boy didn't look up from the book he was reading - who read and fast walked at the same time? "I know what your name is."

"Alright then" Helena was, per usual, unbothered, "What is your name, then?"

"Theodore. Theodore Nott. My Grandfather made me come to this though, so don't expect me to be all buddy-buddy with either you," she could see the curl of a sneer on his lips even with his head tilted downwards, _"Especially_ not the Half Blood."

Helena's face mimicked the other boy's, and she stopped walking, forcing Draco too as well. The blonde in question gulped and looked away. After knowing the girl for many months, he knew better than to voice his opinions on Blood status in front of her. If there was anything Helena hated, it was being underestimated. How foolish did you have to be that you lost to an opponent because of preconceived notions you held about them based solely off of who their parents were. Embarrassing.

"You believe me inferior to you?"

 _Oh boy,_ Draco thought. He made an attempt to grab her gloved hand again, "Don't make a scene, Helena. You know Mother will be mad if you do."

Helena extracted herself from his grip, "I am not making a scene. I am asking a question," she turned her attention back to Theodore, who'd finally looked up from whatever he was reading, "Do you?"

Theodore tilted his chin upwards, completely unnecessary because he was at least four inches taller than the girl he was arguing with, "It's not just that I believe it. It's a proven fact. You don't see Mud Bloods in our history books, do you?"

Helena leaned forward. Draco hated the way her eyes seemed to glow, even more unnatural looking than usual, "I am in your History books, aren't I?" she tilted her head to the right in question.

Theodore actually took a step back, his bravado crumbling, "That was your Father's blood in you," Theodore insisted in a shaky voice, "It evened out the bad."

"Then why," Helena's neck tilted even farther to the right, the angle looking painful, "Is my Father dead, while my Mother lives happily in her little countryside house?"

Theodore sputtered, his face reddening. Before be could answer, though, a soft voice cut through, "Hello, Miss Potter, it's an honor to meet you. My name is Daphne Greengrass. My apologies if I'm interrupting something." Daphne didn't look like she cared at all if she was interrupting something, a small, polite smile gracing her peach painted lips, "This is my sister, Astoria. Again, it's truly an honor."

Helena blinked and straighten, Theodore almost completely out of her mind, "Hello, Misses Greengrass. It's very nice to meet you, too."

"Theodore, Draco," Daphne said, barely inclining her head in a nod to the other boys. In comparison to her warm greeting of Helena, the difference was stark.

Draco rolled his eyes as if he'd been expecting the coldness, "Greengrass," he sniffed, "I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again."

 _It was your idea to come see her,_ Helena resisted the urge to point out.

Daphne's smile sharpened, "You didn't even cross my mind enough for me to wish."

Beside her, Astoria elbowed her older sister lightly, "She doesn't mean that. It's very nice to see both of you."

"Thank you, Astoria. I sometimes wish your sister was capable of the aspects of human decency that you are," Theodore spoke finally.

Daphne ignored him, "Have you seen the gardens here, Miss Potter?"

"No, I haven't. Is there a reason you ask?"

They are quite lovely, would you fancy taking a walk with me to see them?"

"Hold on a minute, why would _you_ be showing Helena around _my_ gardens?"

"All offense, but I do believe that Miss Potter would prefer my company over yours."

"That's not true! Right, Helena?"

Helena blinked, "Who don't we just all go to the gardens together?"

"No," the pair said in unison.

-

They did, in fact, end up all going to the garden together, despite Malfoy's and Daphne's blatant protests. 

"So," Daphne said as she watched Helena roll a crumpled flower petal between her fingers, "I heard your conversation with Theodore... how _did_ you survive that night?"

Absently, Helena dropped the petal and reached up to touch her scar. She felt Mors appear beside her, he always did when she touched her scar, "I am not allowed to say."

That got Daphne's attention, "So that means you know?"

"Don't bother, Greengrass. No matter how much you ask, she isn't gonna say anything else. Believe me, I've tried."

 _"Are you enjoying your party?"_ Mors asked Helena.

She just nodded. The pair had been unable to establish a non-verbal form of communication.

 _"What is this one's name?"_ Mors hovered around Greengrass' head.

"Daphne." It wasn't until the blonde girl turned her attention to Helena that she realized she'd spoken aloud. Oops, "Why is it that you wish to know? Whats done is done, is it not? Unless you are planning to be attacked by a Dark Wizard, of course."

"Of course I don't. I am merely a curious person."

"Aiming for Ravenclaw, then?" Draco asked snarkely.

Helena ignored him, "May we go back inside, please? I would like to try some of the cookies."

"You always want sweet things nowadays," Draco grumbled, but obediently followed the two girls back into his Manor.

-

"Miss Potter," Slughorn's booming voice was difficult to miss, even with the small crowd, "I was wondering where you went off to. I see you've made some friends!"

"Professor Slughorn," Helena did her best to mimick Narcissa's eye crinkling smile, "Hello, sir."

"Ah! She knows who I am, I'm honored," he joked, slapping Helena on the back jollily. She did her best not to stumble under the force of them, "I see the colors, aiming to be in Slytherin, are you. I'm head of house, you know? I'd be happy to have you."

"I'm not sure what house I'll be in, sir. Though, I would not be upset if I was sorted into Slytherin."

"You better be," Draco said from beside her, "I can't imagine staying friends if you were sorted into _Hufflepuff!"_

Slughorn laughed, "I quite understand the sentiment, my boy! They never seem to do much, those Hufflepuffs. Oh, but Helena dear," the switch from Miss Potter to Helena dear was a sudden one, "This is for you," he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an enchanted glass card, lined with silver, "A permanent invitation to any of my galas. You'll always be able to find the most recent one on that card there. Just make sure to send a letter marking your arrival so I can make sure everything child friendly." He let out another booming laugh.

Helena really couldn't decide if she liked him or not, "Thank you, sir. It's an honor."

"Oh, nonsense, nonsense," he waved his hand, dismissing the notion, "Well, I'll leave you kiddos alone. Have a nice night enjoy yourselves!" He lumbered away, leaving Helena with a piece of glass with nowhere to put it.

-

She just ended up holding it the entire night, not that she minded all that much.

"You must be tired, Helena," Narcissa said after the lasts of the guests left.

"Would you-" she paused mid way for a yawn, "Would you mind if I stayed the night?" Helena asked.

"Would your mother be okay with that?"

Helena nodded sleepily, "It'll be fine. She probably won't even notice. And this way, you can help me undo my hair."

"Alright," Narcissa sighed, "I'll have one of the House Elves prepare a guest room for you. This won't become a regular thing though," she reprimanded, though her face quickly softened as Helena yawned again, "Come on, now. Let's get you to the bathroom. That hair must be killing you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. THESE SEVEN YEAR OLD DO NOT SOUND LIKE SEVEN YEAR OLDS LMAOO!!! 
> 
> 2\. this chapter was weird to write because my little brother's name is Theodore. 
> 
> 3\. Daphne says kill all men !!
> 
> 4\. Yes I included soft Narcissa, what about it?
> 
> 5\. in case you were wondering, I WANTED to base the Wizarding World fashion on the Edwardian era (roughly 1901-1910) almost purely because of Bernadette Banner on YouTube, but alas, I don't trust myself to not mess up the description and I would never want to disappoint her that way.
> 
> 6\. What do you guys think? As always, come yell at me at tom-riddles-horcrux on tumblr.


	7. there is a girl who moves on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena learns the meaning of goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writers block is a bitch sorry for not updating oops  
> you miiiiight get a second chapter today to make up for that but we all know that I'm horrible at following through on my promises so don't count on that

Ron groaned as he flopped back onto the wooden table of the Leaky Cauldron, his feet dangling off the ledge. The pair had practically claimed that corner of the shop as their own, and, after months of the two meeting there regularly to play, people knew not to bother them. 

"I've been wanting to buy this broom for forever, it isn't even that expensive, either - but Mum says we don't have enough money. Even though she _just_ bought Ginny an entire new wardrobe last week.

"Hmm," Helena hummed, sucking down her second butter bear of the day, "Why don't _you_ go make money?"

Ron rolled his eyes, "How am I supposed to do that. No ones gonna hire me, I'm a bloody seven year old. Though my birthday _is_ next month. I wonder if I could ask for it then."

"I didn't mean as an employee," Helena's speech had been slowly changing after months of hanging out with children her age. Before, she'd been taught by a millennia old diety, and she spoke like it. Now, while she still spoke with an otherworldly tilt to her voice, it wasn't quite as pronounced, and she adopted some slang and shortened word. She almost sounded her age, "I meant that you could enter chess competitions. You'll be old enough, soon."

"Chess... competitions?"

"Yes."

Ron sighed, the other girl never gave an explanation, "What are those?"

"Tournaments. Children eight or older are eligible. The winner receives prizes, usually money. Though, if you truly want it, I could buy you the broom."

"No, you're not getting it for me. How much money do they reward?"

Helena took another sip, "I don't know. I apologize, Lady Malfoy only mentioned them offhandedly when I told her you were teaching me chess."

Ron easily waved her off and pushed himself up from his reclined position, "Nah, it's fine. Anyway, we've played enough today," he looked at her with a grin, "Ice cream?"

Helena smiled back, "Ice cream."

-

"Helena," Mors spoke suddenly one day as he watched his master attempt once more to destroy water in a stream. She'd, so far, been unsuccessful. The molecules in most liquids and gasses seemed to be too spread apart for Helena to properly disintegrate them.

The green eyed girl turned her attention away from the cupped water in her palms, "Yes?"

"There is not much else you need me for, is there?"

Helena frowed, but allowed him to continue.

"You are a capable one, my child. In time, through practice and repetition, you will succeed all that you will need to succeed in, in order to become a fully realized Master. Yoi have all of the basics down. You will master destroying water whether I am here or not."

"That is true," Helena said slowly, a feeling of dread welling up inside of her. 

"I am waisting power by being here, little one. Both yours and mine. It drains you to keep me here in such extended amounts of time, especially with how you are already draining yourself by practicing. And my sister is getting anxious with me being gone for so long. In seven days, it will be seven months to seven years. That is a very important number."

"I know that!" Helena snapped, before staring down at her hands guiltily. She was fully standing by now, the small stream completely abandoned. 

"I will always be hear for you, it is my duty to serve my Master. You only need to call for me."

Helena quickly resorted to glaring at him, "That is- That is stupid. You are being stupid."

If Mors had an eyebrow, he would've raised it. He'd never heard Helena speak so childishly before.

"Who was it, before me? Who was your old Master. Did you leave them, too."

"No, of course not, Helena," Mors crouched down, but even squatting, he seemed to loom over Helena, "It was his coice that his time was up. It has been many years since that time, but I would never abandon him. He lived for many, many years. It will _always_ be your choice, Helena. I will never abandon you."

Finally, _finally_ , Helena looked up at him, "Mother used to always say that she loved me, that she would never leave me. I can remember, even all the way back then. I can never- I can never _stop_ remembering. She never says it anymore."

"I know. But I am not like that. I will always be here when you need me. Just brush your hand over your scar and I will come. I swear it."

Helena was silent for a long time, frowning off into the distance. Mors sat patiently, waiting for her to come to whatever conclusion she would come to.

"Very well. I believe you."

"I am glad," Mors began to rise, but a small hand clutching onto his robes stopped him, "Yes?"

"I want you to explain the purpose of me being your tether. Why do you need me at all?"

"I told you, didn't I? It is your existence that allows me to appear here in this form."

"I know that, but why is that form necessary at all. You just admitted that your last master had been many, many years ago."

"Being here physically allows me to have more fine-tuned control over who dies, and how. Think of it like before I could only paint with a large paintbrush. I could still paint, of course, but not with a lot of detail. However, your existence allows me to access smaller, more refined paintbrushes, so I can do my job better. Also, as my Master, it is your job to collect my artifacts. Not yet, of course, but when you grow older. I will tell you more about it when it is necessary."

Helena wanted to ask him more about what he meant by that, but she held her tongue.

"You are _not_ useless, magistra."

"I know that I'm not useless," Helena grumbled childishly, "When are you leaving?"

"I'm not leaving, I'll just see you a lot less. But, it should begin in a week. That way, we still have a solid seven months of time to use before we reach seven years total."

"That's smart."

"I'm glad you think so. Is there anything in particular that you want to do during that time?"

"Can we go over my Latin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. this was impossible for me to write for some reason. i could just NOT get through the second scene
> 
> 2\. also not me unironically learning Latin for this fic. shout out to duolingo
> 
> 3\. yes I got rid of Mors for the time being because I realized that for every obstacle Helena faces she should just call on him, which makes him wayyyyy too overpowered.
> 
> 4\. I finally figured out what the plot of this fic is gonna be!!!! good for me.
> 
> 5\. also, bc I totally don't wanna make anyone uncomfortable, this is gonna be a fem!harry x voldemort fic, not tom riddle. that's why this isn't tagged just harry potter/tom riddle. if you aren't comfortable w reading that its totally understandable. just know that this is gonna be a slowwwww burn and nothing even remotely romantic will happen between them until Helena is of consenting age (seventeen in the wizarding world). Voledmort is obviously gonna be a lot more sane, too. and less ugly... LMAO
> 
> 6\. as always, come yell at me at tom-riddles-horcrux on tumblr


	8. there is a boy who rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ron Weasley grows into his own person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was the second chapter posted today, so if you're confused about what's happening, you probably accidentally skipped the first one.
> 
> this is a ron centric chapter. have I done something like this in this story before? no. do I care that it doesn't fit with the rest? also no. love yallllll

Ron Weasley excelled at chess tournaments. He went to every single one they allowed him - a newly eight year old child - to play in. Which, admittedly, was not a lot. He beat everyone he was pitted against, so much so that his "randomly" assigned partners started to get less and less random. Instead of him playing pureblood children who had hopes of eliminating him early, he played the kids nobody had ever heard of, in order to allow the rich kids to move up as far as they could in the tournament. Until, of course, they inevitably lost to him.

Ron played so often and won so often that newspapers - real newspapers - started to talk about him, and his Mum got a whiff of what he was doing.

She was supportive at first, of _course,_ she was. His Mother never did anything mean on _purpose,_ at least Ron didn't think she did. But soon Ron started buying himself newer clothes with all the money he earned, and his siblings started to get bitter.

Fred and George were the first ones to point it out. They'd probably just been joking, just like they were joking when they turned his stuffed animal into a giant spider and traumatized him for life.

"Aww, wook at widdle baby Wonny," they mocked in unison, causing the tips of Ron's ears to redden, "Does he want to work all fancy like his widdle fwiends?"

"Shut up!" Ron yelled back, causing Molly to storm into the room, her hands on her hips.

"No shouting in the house," she scolded all three of them, "Stop bothering each other!"

Fred and George scurried off, laughing, leaving an embarrassed Ron in their wake.

Following Fred and George's example, like always, Ginny began to tease her brother, too, "Ronnie's dressing like a little girl!" she giggled, referring to the nice shirt he'd bought himself, "Wait, Mommy, Mommy," she pulled relentlessly at Molly's skirts.

"Yes, sweetheart," Molly scooped her up with a smile.

"What would Ronnie's name be as a girl?"

"Hmm," Molly hummed as she sturred whatever was in her pot, "Ronalda, I suppose," she answered, oblivious to Ron's misery.

 _"Ronalda!"_ Ginny cackled, clapping with joy, "Ronnie's new name is _Ronalda!"_

"Yes, yes, very funny sweetheart," Molly humored her daughter.

Still, Ron refused to be bullied out of having nice clothes. He liked to look respectable at all the competitions he went to, they were always taking pictures after all, and most of the kids who went to them were rich, and he'd look stupid next to them if he wore his hand-me-downs. Besides, Helena always said he looked nice, and that was enough for him.

-

"And Adrian Puecy resigns, Ronald Weasley is the winner again!" the announcer shouted into their microphone. Blaise sighed and stuck his hand out for Ron to shake, which he happily did. No matter how many times he won, it was still a rush.

Helena came to stand at his side, but before she could speak, there was another woman in front of her, pushing her out of the way. Helena turned to glare at her.

"Hello, hello, hi, nice to meet you," the woman said. Her hair was a frizzy brown, and she had large, thick lensed glasses, "Hi there, my name is Stacy. I work for the Daily Prophet. I was wondering if I could do a story on you?"

"On _me?"_ Ron asked, nearly vibrating with excitement. None of his brothers had ever gotten an interview before.

"Of course on you, who else? You're a wonder in the chess world right now. Here," she pulled out a quill and a notebook and sat down on the now-vacant seat on the other side of the chessboard, "You're eight years old, right?"

"Yeah!" Ron said excitedly, "Yeah, I just turned eight two months ago."

"Incredible, and you just easily beat eleven year old Adrian. How old were you when you started to play?"

"Um, I'm not sure, sorry. I think I started around four years ago. That's when I found the old chessboard in the attic."

"Four years old! Remarkable. And who taught you to play?"

"I uh- I taught myself actually. My parents are always really busy 'cause I have six other siblings, so I used to play myself a lot."

"Oh, of course, the Weasley family. You're a member of the Sacred Twenty Eight, aren't you?"

"Um," Ron felt his shoulders droop. He didn't really want to talk about his family, "Yeah, we are, I think."

"Ron is a very accomplished chess player that wins time and time again despite how his family does not offer him any help. Let's focus on that, please," Helena said calmly, gaining Stacy's attention for the first time.

"H-Helena Potter, of my goodness, I didn't even notice you! You know Ronald, here?"

"I do. He taught me to play and is one of my good friends."

"Oh wow, oh wow," Stacy muttered to herself, scribbling on her notepad, "This is going to be a great story. Are you planning on joining any competitions once you're of age?"

"I do. But I must say, I have yet to beat Ron even once."

"Not even the Girl Who Lived... You really are something, Mister Weasley. I look forward to seeing how far you'll go in the chess world. Thank you for sitting and answering my questions. You should see your name come up in the paper next week. Here's my card if you ever feel like reaching out."

Ron grinned at her, "Okay, looking forward to it!"

-

_"Even lacking the support of his family, eight year old Ronald Weasley continues to thrive in every tournament he enters, consistently beating out older, more experienced chess players. He truly is someone to keep an eye on."_

Molly slammed the paper back down onto the kitchen table, and Ron flinched, "You told the whole world we don't support you?" she asked angrily, "Do you know how much that hurts me? After everything we do for you. I know we don't have a lot, Ronald, but we do all that we can to support you. Think about how this is gonna make our family look. How is Arthur going to get the promotion he's being considered for if everyone thinks we neglect you?"

"'m sorry," Ron muttered, shuffling his feet.

"An apology isn't going to do anything now, Ronald. I'm very disappointed in you. You know, I allowed you to go do those little chess tournaments even though you wasted all the money you won from them, and _this_ is how you repay me? I knew hanging out with all of those rich kids was going to change you. Where did my baby Ronniekins go, huh?"

Ron didn't reply, he just stared down at his shoes. He couldn't help but think about how he was missing his weekly meet up with Helena.

"That's it. No more chess tournaments for you."

"Mum!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me, young man!"

"Mollywobbles," Arthur spoke up, "Don't you think you're being a bit excessive. He's only eight, and you know how those reporters can be. He might've not even said anything about us not supporting him."

"Arthur, dear, I don't want you trying to teach me a _thing_ about parenting."

"Right, of course not."

"You know what, you're grounded. No hanging out with that girl, either. You aren't leaving the house until you go off to Hogwarts."

"Mum, that's not fair!" he could live without the chess tournaments, but he needed to see Helena! She was his best friend. Despite his best efforts to will them away, tears began to fill his eyes.

"I don't wanna hear it, go to your room."

"Mum-"

"Room!"

-

Ron sent a letter to Helena the moment he got his hands on Errol. She responded a day later, promising to find a solution. She apologized, too, because it was her fault that the reporter even knew that something was off in the Weasley family. Ron thought that that was bullshit, she was only telling the truth.

He spent two weeks locked in his room. Until finally, finally, Helena's solution arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, my dislike for Molly really popped out in this chapter, huh. obviously, she isn't this bad, but this is sorta a character with all here already-there faults exaggerated. also, I hold no hate towards the rest of the family, they'll get better with time.
> 
> as always, come yell at me at tom-riddles-horcrux on tumblr.


	9. there is a girl who doesn't hold back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena goes out of her way to help someone, maybe for the first time... ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IT WASNT MY FAULT MY STUPID COMPUTER BROKE AND I HAD TO GO TO MY PUBLIC LIBRARY TO WRITE THIS AHHHHHH  
> ALSO STREAM CLASS OF 2013 BY MITSKI IVE CRIED TO IT EVERY DAY THIS WEEK

Helena's first thought when she read Ron's letter was something along the lines of peeling off her gloves and watching the terror cloud Mrs. Weasley's eyes as she slowly disintegrated to death.

She immediately shut that one down, though. She had a feeling that Ron, upset as he was, would not be partial to the death of his mother.

Her mind then jumped to ways to get him out of there. While Helena didn't regularly go out of her way to study law, much to the chagrin of Lady Malfoy, who'd been trying to impress its importance onto her, she did know the basics. And the basics covered the fact that you couldn't steal a child away from their parents just because they grounded him.

So kidnapping was a no go.

Helena was steadily running out of ideas.

A way to give Ron freedom while keeping him living in the Weasley house... she wished that either of them were strong enough to apparate. How did someone replicate apparition without... actually apparating. She very much doubted she'd be able to convince Lady Malfoy to apparate in and out of the Weasley house whenever Ron had a tournament.

Suddenly, the answer came to her. She felt very silly for not thinking about it before. A portkey, of course. 

The only problem was that Helena had no idea where to get a portkey, much less how to program one. 

Though, she did know someone who definitely would.

-

Dusting herself off as she exited the fireplace, Helena was greeted by the empty Entrance Hall of Malfoy Manor. Understandable, seeing as she showed up completely unannounced. 

Undeterred, she took off towards Narcissa's office. The woman was always in there if she wasn't at some other gathering with the other Ladies. 

The woman was sitting at her desk, carefully reading through some documents. She looked up when Helena entered. There must've been a trace of distress in the girl's expression because her face immediately creased with worry.

"Helena? Is everything alright?"

"No, it is not, unfortunately. Ronald Weasley is being held hostage."

"Hostage?" Narcissa's brows shot up to her forehead, "By whom?"

"His parents. Well, his mother really, but they're both at fault."

"He's being held hostage... by his parents."

"Yes, I believe we just covered that. I require your assistance."

"Helena," Narcissa started slowly, setting down the quill in her hand, "Parents normally take disciplinary action against their children. Did Ronald do anything that might require such action."

Helena scowled, but took a deep breath to calm herself down, "I understand that, Lady Malfoy. I have witnessed you use such... disciplinary action against Draco. But, I do not believe that locking your son away and making sure he is unable to experience any of the things that bring him happiness until he's shipped off to Hogwarts at age eleven is appropriate _disciplinary action."_

The worried look in the other woman's eyes was back full force, "The boys parents said that, did they?"

"According to Ron, they did," Helena handed over the boy's letter.

Narcissa's grey eyes scanned it quickly, "I see," she said with pursed lips, "And this is because an unsavory remark the papers made about the Weasley's parenting?"

"Yes, but _I_ was the one who made the remark, so it's my respo-" Helena scoweled as she stumbled over her words, "Responsibility to help him."

"And how do you propose we go about that?"

Helena sat herself down in the chair across from Narcissa, "A portkey."

"A portkey?"

"Yes."

As always, there was no elaboration.

"Where do you suppose you're going to get a portkey from?"

"I am unsure. That is why I came to you."

"I see. That was smart, at least. I happen to have commissioned many a portkey in my lifetime."

"Alright then, how do you do it?"

"Well, first you have to outline the basics of the portkey that you need," she shuffled around on her desk for a blank piece of parchment to write on, "Where would you want it to connect to?"

"Me."

"You? Alright, that'll be difficult, as you are a constantly moving entity. I assume you have the money to pay for this?"

"Yes, Mother gave me access to my trust fund last year."

"That's good. Do you have a design in mind for the portkey?"

Helena thought for a moment, "Something small. A necklace would do, I think."

"Alright, but what would the design for the necklace be?"

Again, silence. But then, a small smile curved over Helena's lips, "A chess piece."

Narcissa smiled back at her, "Very fitting. And the activation phrase?"

"I do not care about that. Something that would be hard to guess."

"Perhaps something in Latin? I know that you are fluent in the language."

She shook her head, "No, Ronald doesn't do well with other languages. It would have to be something in English."

"Okay then, then how about a common chase phrase. To match the design of the necklace."

"That is smart. Vienna's Game, then. After Ron's favorite play. It's also very unlikely that the Weasley family would know that at all."

"It's settled, then," she cast a spell to dry the ink quickly, and began to fold the parchment, "All reliable portkeys are to be commissioned from the goblins at Gringotts. They will mail us back as soon as possible with their price, they won't negotiate it, so it's foolish to try. You will send the money, and we will arrive to pick it up when it's ready."

Helena didn't like the idea of having to wait that long, but she nodded her agreement.

Narcissa slid the folded parchment into an envelope, "And you're sure you're fine with everything in the design?"

"Yes."

Narcissa stamped the envelope closed, the Malfoy crest sitting prettily on its cover.

-

Four days later and the pair were walking into the large bank sitting at one end of Diagon Alley. Helena herself had never actually been to Gringotts, she'd only seen it from afar. As she walked up the steps with Narcissa, she regretted not coming sooner. She noted a poem as she entered the building, but the two were walking too fast for her to read it properly.

The goblins spoke to each other in an unfamiliar language, using sounds Helena wasn't even sure her mouth was capable of making.

Narcissa, however, seemed unbothered, and she walked right up to one of the many desks.

The goblin led them to a back room, where they waited for five-ish minutes. Finally, the large door was pushed open and a goblin, wearing a pair of gold reading glassed, stepped into the room.

He cleared his throat, "Afternoon to the both of you," he waddled over to the small seat on the other side of the desk Helena and Narcissa were seated across from. He pulled a black box out from his pocket and set it on the table, "Since you've already paid for this item, I have no problem handing it over."

He pushed the box across the desk. Carefully, Helena picked it up and opened it, finding two different necklaces. Oh, she hadn't thought about having one of her own.

She pulled out the silver chess piece - the queen - and examined it in her hands. Ron's knight piece sat snugly in its box. She unclasped the chain and locked it tightly around her neck.

"Since you left out what piece in particular you wanted, I chose what I believe are the two most powerful. Now, with that, you would be free to go. However, your Wizarding Government requires documentation of every portkey in circulation, so it's necessary that you, Miss Potter, sign here."

He turned the paper around so Helena could read it. She picked up the accompanying quill to sign, but Narcissa put her hand out to stop her.

"Remember, Helena, it's important to read every contract you sign very carefully in order to make sure you aren't agreeing to anything bad. No offense to you, of course."

The goblin just shrugged, clearly uncaring about Narcissa's impromptu tutoring session.

"Alright," Helena agreed, withdrawing her hand and instead focusing her attention on the actual fine print. Narcissa read it over her shoulder as well.

She leaned back and nodded her approval.

Helena grabbed the quill and looked around for the ink. When she realized there was none, she looked to Narcissa in question.

"All contracts are signed with blood quills, which write with the user's blood," the other woman explained patiently, "It is to negate forgery and identity theft. It will only hurt a bit."

Helena nodded, signing her name with the ink without a wince.

"Helena," Narcissa said after watching the young girl write her name, showing no signs of pain, "Ronald makes a fair amount of money from his winnings, does he not?"

"Yes, he does."

"Perhaps we should invest in an expandable pouch for him, one that will hold his money so that only he can access it."

The red-haired girl thought for a moment, "Yes that is a good idea," she turned back to the goblin, "One of those too, please."

The goblin smiled, showing his too-pointy teeth, "Sure thing."

-

The moment she was out of the bank, Helena was rushing towards the nearest Owl Post Station. She really should invest in one of her own. As she attached the small, dark green pouch and a letter, which held the necklace itself and an explanation of how to use it. She hoped Ron appreciated the effort that went into finding him a way to be free of his mother. Who was she kidding, of course he'd appreciate it. He'd probably get mad at her for spending so much of her money on him. What an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. how did i make myself like ron when i've hated him for years?  
> 2\. obviously, I don't think that Molly would act that extreme in canon. her behavior is an exaggeration of her already existing faults  
> 3\. that being said, i will never be a molly weasley stan. ever.  
> 4\. i love narcissa.  
> 5\. can you tell i have mommy issues from the way i write this story?  
> 6\. I had someone ask if they could do fan art for this story and PLEASE, ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN FOR ANY OF MY STORIES!!! I would literally cry. please do not hesitate to tag me in it so i can share for everyone to see.  
> 7\. I want to make it clear for everyone again, this is NOT a helena x ron fic, nor will it ever be. the necklaces do not imply romance.  
> 8\. on a more serious note, i introduce the goblins in this chapter, which are based on harmful, anti-Semitic stereotypes. if any of my Jewish readers want to give suggestions on how i can alter their characteristics to make them less harmful, please let me know. either down in the comments below or on my tumblr @ tom-riddles-horcrux


	10. there is a boy who freed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unbound by the ties of familial obligation, Ron excels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CODE GEASS BEST SHOW EVER CONFIRMED OMG EVERYONE PLEASE GO WATCH IT ITS ON NETFLIX  
> And for my American readers, Happy (late) Thanksgiving!! Be sure to take some time out of your day to appreciate and support indigenous people, too!
> 
> Also, in terms of NaNoWriMo, I failed, oops. Honestly, I'm impressed that I managed to get as ,such done as I did. that being said, this story will probably take a back seat for awhile. check out my other stroty, Astrum, while you're at it. An update for that baby should be coming soon.

It took two full weeks for Molly to realize that Ron would disappear every other day at 3 in the afternoon. Ron shouldn't have been surprised, really. He'd come back home after a day at Eventu Alley - someplace in Scotland that Helena had read about and insisted on visiting - and his Mother had been sitting on waiting for him. She'd also seen him transport back out of thin air.

Needless to say, she was pissed.

Ron, however, had sat through more than enough of her rants to be able to take one head on without flinching.

"Ronald Weasley!" she screeched. She could at least be considerate enough not to scream in his ear, "What do you think you're doing after I specifically told you no leaving the house? And with that horrid chessboard no less? Give that here!"

Ron took a step back, holding the chessboard out of his mother's reach, "You can't take this, I bought it," he argued back.

Unfortunately, his resistance only seemed to anger Molly more. He could see his father in the doorway, hesitant to step in and incur his wife's rage, "Your father and I provide you with food, shelter, and clothing. We are your parents, we have every right to confiscate your possessions."

"Fine then! I'll just go out and buy my own stuff. I make about as much money as your husband over there, anyway! Once I get old enough to play in adult champions I'll probably make more in a year than you've ever made in your life!"

He stuffed the chessboard under his shirt and dove under Molly's arms and past Arthur's legs.

"Ronald Weasley you get back here this instant!" Molly yelled after him. Ron was surprised the windows didn't shatter from how loud she was.

The twins cheered for him as he sprinted down the hallway and out the door. He really didn't have any idea what he was doing. The only place in running distance was the Lovegoods, and Ron didn't know them well enough to go barging into their house. Oh well, portkeying to Helena it was. Ron just hoped she wasn't doing anything important.

Squeezing his eyes tight - he still wasn't very used to the feeling of portkeying - he grasped the necklace and whispered the activation phrase.

  
-

  
When he opened his eyes, he was in a completely unfamiliar room. The first thing he noticed was the large, ornate grandfather clock fitted to the back wall. But, as his senses returned to him, he recognized the presence of two people staring at him.

"Well, I suppose this must be the young Mr. Weasley I've heard so much about," a pretty blonde lady said from behind her desk, her hands steepled in front of her and her eyebrows tilted to reveal her amusement.

Helena looked up from where she was sitting beside him, "Hello, Ron. What are you doing here? This is Lady Malfoy."

Oh. Oh. He'd portkeyed into the Malfoy manner. He vaguely wondered how he hadn't been vaporized by the wards.

Lady Malfoy must've read the horror on his face because she quickly explained, "Once Helena sent your portkey over, I predicted something like this might happen. I added your signature to the wards in preparation."

"Oh, uh, thank you, Lady Malfoy."

"Of course, Mr. Weasley. Now, what seems to be the problem? I very much doubt you'd portkey to Helena without any prompting whatsoever."

Ron was incredibly glad he spent so much time with Helena - who sounded like she'd swallowed a dictionary - otherwise he very much doubted he'd have known what whatsoever meant.

"My Mum saw me apparate back into my room," he sunk into one of the chairs by Helena, "Tried to take my chessboard away from me, even though I bought it, just cuz everything else I own belongs to her. I didn't know what else to do, so I panicked... Sorry."

"It's no inconvenience, Mr. Weasley. Helena was just discussing her plans for my son's birthday party."

"You mean... Draco, right?"

"Yes, Draco. The celebration is later tonight. Now, nevermind that. While I have no problem with you being here for the time being, I very much doubt your parents would take kindly to the idea of their son spending time at the Malfoy residence. Did you have a particular plan you intend to innact?"

"No, not really." Honestly, the only plan Ron had had in mind was to piss them off as much as he could. He was actually planning to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe because 1) he knew how much Molly hated it and 2) to rub in her face the fact that she _didn't_ actually clothe him, no matter what she said.

Speaking of things she hated, actually, "Could I do to... Draco's party tonight?"

Narcissa blinked down at him, certainly not expecting that answer, "Well, I suppose you'll have to ask him."

Helena looked very excited all of a sudden. Which, in all honesty, wasn't really a change in her face, but more a change in the feel of her. Ron couldn't really explain it. Perhaps he was getting better at reading her?

She stood up and inclined her head respectfully towards Lady Malfoy, "Come with me, Ron. I'll show you to him."

"Wait, you want me to go meet him _now_?" he asked skeptically as he was dragged down the long and pristine hallways of the Malfoy Manor. He didn't even have time to appreciate him, "I mean, I don't exactly expect him to like me all that much, Helena."

Helena carried on, undeetered, "Draco has been dying to meet you. He respects the fact that you've rebelled away from your family to embrace more traditional ideals... and the fact that you publicly slandered the entire Weasley family. He found that very amusing."

Ron huffed, "Of course he did."

The pair stopped in front of a large white door. Ron reached out to turn the handle but Helena stopped him, shaking her head.

"You need to knock," she explained, "Draco gets upset if you do not knock."

Ron thought that was bloody ridiculous, but he was to tired to argue. Instead, he stepped back and watched as the small girl next to him slowly raised her fist to knock once, twice, three times.

They waited in silence until finally a voice spoke.

"You may enter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not me realizing when starting this chapter that Ron had literally no way to get home after he portkeyed to Helena... uhhh anyway please pretend this is how portkeys work I don't feel like going back to change anything.  
> as always come talk to me at tom-riddles-horcrux on tumblr!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! my tumblr is tom-riddles-horcrux, so if you have any suggestions or anything you want in the story, you can yell at me over there. or here in the comments, honestly.  
> I have another female hp fic here on ao3, so read that if you want more of my stories.  
> Also please tell me if you have any corrections, I'll be writing all of these chapters on like three hours of sleep, so there are sure to be plenty of then.  
> Stay safe everybody!


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